Russia and Pakistan conduct joint military exercises

Pakistan and Russia began annual joint military exercises to strengthen cooperation in the war against terrorism and the growing threat from the Islamic State group in neighboring Afghanistan.

According to officials, the Friendship III exercise began on Monday at the National Center for Counterterrorism in the mountain city of Pabbi. A Pakistani Special Forces headquarters is also located there.

The official representative of the Pakistan army, Major General Asif Ghafoor, said that this was the third exercise under the bilateral cooperation program between Pakistan and Russia. The Russian military leadership reported that 70 Russian military personnel and their Pakistani colleagues will conduct airborne joint tasks at an altitude of 1,400 meters during the two-week exercise.